Assertive effort

I was pleased to read in your pages recently that President Obama has chosen an assertive team to advance the effort to address energy policy and climate change.

Much of our national debate recently has focused on budgetary matters, replete with hyperventilation about the debt we will leave our children if we don’t act now. If we are truly concerned about burdening our children with untenable conditions, environmental matters come front and center in my mind.

Many folks are fond of the “I have to balance my checkbook” argument when discussing government debt. If we may use quaint personal allegory to address complex issues, I would pose this question: Would you rather be attempting recovery from a bankruptcy or a terminal illness?